Megaman X: Fusion Parts 17, UpdatedSorry
by Rom Manic
Summary: The world is in a state of war. The Maverick Virus continues to wreakhavok on the replods of Earth. But a new stage in the Virus development sends Xand Zero on a mission that will show them their true origins...


----------------- Megaman X - Fusion ----------------- 

------ Part 1 ------

Tanner smashed through the Tactical Screen and landed hard on the floor. Lying in a heap,  
the cloaked one came towards him and picked him up by the throat.

"One last time, Tanner, where is the Fusion Core?" He said with a growl.

"Ok, ok, I'll tell you," Gasped Tanner, struggling to get free, "But what I say cannot go to the Senate, you must understand that. If you tell them...You will be killed..."

The cloaked one snarled, releasing Tanner to the floor.

"And what reason do they have to keep the location of the Core?" asked the Cloaked one, crouching down

Tanner wiped his face with his sleeve, "Because the Core contains the secret to the old Dementia machine,"

This was unexpected. However, he did not let his surprise show, to play a game with Tanner. But now he knew why Tanner had been in hiding for so long.

"I don't know what you mean," said the cloaked one.

"It contains the design for a newer version of the Dementia machine, in robot form," he said, "completely re-designed, with a recipe for the newer version of Dementia that can be spread even sub-consciously. The perfect weapon...It almost seems too farfetched, doesn't it?"

"You say sub-consciously, like it has its own mind," said the cloaked one, curiously, "AI has only come so far, Tanner."

"Yes, but the Ancients were thousands of years more advanced than we are," said Tanner, adjusting his position, "And they knew considerably more about the mind and human consciousness than we ever did. They somehow integrated human mind patterns and technology to make one perfect version of AI...It's what I've always dreamed of creating."

"And if the Ancients were so smart, then they MUST have a counter weapon for the Dementia Machine, right?"

"Exactly," said Tanner, smiling, "They weren't exactly your average humans. Their logic was completely unmatched. They knew eventually something would happen to their perfect weapon. So they designed another machine, this one more powerful than the other...If it were captured, not only would it be able to be replicated to make an army of war, but the self sustaining energy powers it possesses could be harnessed and be used for the betterment of every civilization in existence"

"And all of this is dangerous to release to the senate?" asked the cloaked one, suspiciously.

"The Ghazarkhan have many spies within our hierarchy," replied Tanner, "But what they desperately need to make their ultimate assault is the Dementia Machine. Forget the Adepts, forget political power. Those are only the front for the final battle."

"And you need the counter weapon before you can go to the senate with this, right?" said the cloaked one, "For your own retribution, perhaps?"

Tanner spat, "My family has been marked as traitors because of my work on researching this weapon. The Ghazarkhan has ruined my life...but now I ask a favor of you..."

"You aren't really in a position to ask for a favor, you know," said the cloaked one, "But because you have co-operated so graciously, I'm listening."

Tanner smiled, and then continued, "I need you to find out who the Ghazarkhan spies are within the senate. That way we can isolate them and get the rest of the senate in on the plan without the Ghazarkhan ever knowing!"

"An alliance between families?" said the cloaked one, surprised, "You know how much that would hurt my family...My close ones..."

"There would be reparations for those affected by the circumstances, and you know it," said Tanner, almost spitefully. His tone then changed, "Please, I need this...And if you go through with it...The rewards would be astounding"

The cloaked one rose up, and walked to the door. Before he exited, he stopped, and turned to Tanner. Tanner looked at him with a look of desperation on his face.

"You can find the Fusion Core in my labs on my homeworld," He said, "You will be met with resistance, but...I'm sure you will manage."

"...Your co-operation won't go forgotten. We shall meet again"

------

X's land speeder swerved to the left to avoid a plasma charge, leaving a large crater where it landed. Plasma fire and shells were flying back and forth from Professor Lazarus's fortress.

Suddenly a large, spherical vessel began to rise from the courtyard of the fortress. The comlink came on in an instant

"Attention Maverick Hunter forces; do not let that vessel leave the area. Bring it down with full force. Repeat, blast that boat to kingdom come!"

"X, cover me, I'm going in for it with my squadron. Take your ground assault team and try to take out those gunners and the missile batteries" came Zero's voice over the comlink.

"Roger that, Zero, we're on our way," said X. He switched the comlink to his team's personal frequency, "Ok, guys, listen up. Zero and his squad are moving in to take out that vessel, and we're on his 6. Our job is to take out the missile and gunner turrets on the cliff, copy?"

"Copy that, X," said Crash, second in commend of the team.

"Roger, X," Hogan said, another member.

X's speeder swooped low under the canyon below the fortress, with his team not far behind. They passed around a corner and spotted a hangar door, leading into the canyon.

"X, Intel shows that the door leads to a supply hangar from the top of the canyon down to here," said Crash, "The elevator inside should be wide enough for all three of us to get up there on our speeders,"

"Ok, that's where we're going in then," Said X, "Prepare for some resistance, fellas,"

As they approached the door, they were surprised to find it already opening.

"Well, boys, looks like we have a little bit of work cut out for us," said Hogan, "Let's get ready to cause some - LOOK OUT!"

The cry came just as a large tank crawled out of the hangar, and immediately began charging it's weapons once it saw X and his crew.

"Damn! It's a Panzer Tank!" said X, "Watch out for the Ion turrets, they'll knock out your electrical systems and you'll be stuck!"

"Copy that, moving in for the cockpit!" said Crash, dodging the immediate plasma fire

"Roger, we'll distract it," Said X, then cried out, "Hold on, MORE!"

X watched as 5 more tanks pulled out from the hangar. He quickly switched to the base frequency, but then had an idea.

"Hey boys, remember training ops last month, when we were recruiting?"

"Yeah, I remember we took out 3 Panzers, but it wasn't easy," said Hogan, avoiding missiles left and right, "and this is 5! How can we possibly expect to defeat that many?"

"Just follow my lead," said X, grinning.

X swooped in between the first 2 tanks, dodging Ion fire like crazy. The other 3 continued to engage Crash and Hogan, firing at the ground to flip their hovercrafts. But Hogan and Crash already knew what X was doing. They kept on flying in evasive patterns to avoid the enemy fire.

X, turning on the autopilot, opened the hatch of his speeder, and climbed on top, riding it like a surfboard. Taking aim, he fired at the cockpit of the closest tank, and annihilated the driver. Aiming at the power core, he fired and blasted the tank to smithereens, vaporizing the one closest to it and sending the other 3 flying.

"Heads up below!" Cried X as he sailed through the air, holding on for dear life. He slowly climbed back into the cockpit as his hovercraft came crashing down to the ground, somehow in one piece.

"Ok, let's get up top," Said X over the comm, hardly fazed by the immense feat he had accomplished. Suddenly the comlink crackled to life.

"What the hell was that explosion?" Came Alia's voice over the comm. She sounded confused.

"Hehe, sorry bout that, Alia," Said X, "We took care of some trouble for you. No worries, we're still ok,"

"Well, hurry up and do your job," She said angrily, "Zero's unit is counting on you. Alia out."

"Roger that," Said X, switching back to the other frequency, "Ok boys, lets move in"  
The trio flew into the hangar, half expecting a fight. Surprisingly, there were no enemies in sight, or on radar within the establishment. One other disappointment was the lack of a cargo elevator.

"So how are we supposed to get up there on the speeders?" asked Crash, mockingly.

X surveyed the area. There were ammunition crates on one side of the hangar, some vehicles the far corner and a huge stack of weapons crates on the other side. He smiled, thinking up a plan.

"Load up, fellas," Said X, pointing to the weapons, "Time for a ground assault on the upper side. Let's move!"

------

"Dragoon, there seems to be a small battle taking place on the western continent. According to the local Intelligence, it seems to be localized around a conspiracy dealing with our top agent, Professor Lazarus," said the pilot of the vessel Mitos, "It would be wise to avoid communication with the one they call X at this time."

The Dragoon pondered this for a moment. If they delayed, there could be massive repercussions back home. If they moved in, X could be destroyed and his last hope at retribution along with him.

But the Dragoon was full of ideas.

"What other Intelligence does the human's have regarding the conspiracy?" He asked.

The pilot brought up the information on the main screen.

"It would seem that something they consider deadly, a 'Nightmare Virus', has been reproduced in mass quantities within Lazarus's private castle," said the pilot, "It appears this Virus is not harmful to humans, but to robots, corrupting their memory, logic circuits, and in some cases, their physical appearance."

The pilot turned to face the Dragoon, looking at him eye to eye.

"It would only make sense that the Professor was trying to replicate the virus to take with him when he departed the planet," She said, matter-of-factly, "Then he would be free to do what he wished with it, possibly causing massive damage to computer dependent peoples such as Humans. Worse, he could produce a stronger, more reliable version of the virus, and use it on a self proclaimed quest for glory,"

Her expression then turned cold, and a smile showed on her face

"Our 'only option' is to destroy his complex and any trace of the virus before it can leave Earth. We would have to keep a quarantine to make sure, and check for any capsules that have been launched into space recently," she said, almost chuckling. She paused, letting the Dragoon think about this.

The Dragoon shared her smile. He switched on the intercom.

"Attention all Acolytes. Move in on Professor Lazarus's castle and surrounding complex," ordered the Dragoon over the intercom, "I want everything of his obliterated, and this 'Nightmare Virus' destroyed. NOTHING remains,"

He turned off the intercom and faced the pilot, "Send a message to Lazarus's enemy's headquarters," He said, pondering what to say. After a minute, he made up his mind.

------

"This is Ares, Dragoon of the vessel Mitos. We are going to attempt to eliminate Professor Lazarus, his Castle and surrounding complex. You have 15 of your minutes to evacuate or be destroyed along with the rest of the facility. We require no assistance other than your removal of troops from the area. More information shall be disclosed at a later time. Ares out."

Alia could only gape at the screen as the message played on it. As she stared, she could only wonder at what they actually were planning to do down there.

"Who the hell was that?" Said Signas, gazing at the main view screen, which displayed various images regarding the battle. Alia stared in silence, and then turned to Signas.

If this Ares was truly planning on eliminating Professor Lazarus, then perhaps it would be best that they evacuate the area. On the other hand, it could be a trick to help the Doctor get the hell out of there. She turned back to the view screen, hands in her face.

In any case, she had no time to lose. She switched the comlink to all frequencies used by the Maverick Hunters.

"Attention all Maverick Hunters assaulting Castle Lazarus," She said angrily, put off by this Dragoon's lack of detail, "Evacuate the area immediately. I repeat, evacuate the facility immediately or be annihilated. That is an order. Alia out."

As she switched off the comm, Signas put a hand on her shoulder, comforting her.

"It will all make sense soon," He said, soothingly, "Soon enough they'll want to talk to us, or they wouldn't have come to Earth in the first place."

She turned around, anger showing in her smooth, metallic eyes. She always was a wild one, he thought

"I don't care about talking," She snapped, "All I want is an explanation for WHY I had to withdraw. This is gonna be hard to explain to General, you know."

And with that, she threw up her arms in frustration and stormed out of the Command Centre, leaving Signas in charge. After watching her leave the room, he turned and continued to watch the screen, waiting for anything that might happen.

He checked his chronometer. 12:00, almost time for a power down. He could go on for a little longer, though.

People depended on it.

------

Amidst the raging battle on the grounds below the cliff, the battles in the skies, and many failed attempts at destroying the facility, the upside of the cliff was pretty much undamaged thanks to superior Anti-Air weapons installed.

Suddenly, a large explosion from the middle of the courtyard caught the ground troops attention, who were about to meet the Maverick Hunter ground forces, and immediately began to fire on X and his crew, who darted frantically from the elevator hatch. Luckily, the explosion had been a small mid-weight tank, which was causing multiple headaches for X's superiors and the troops outside the castle.

Acting quickly, as they had no time to spare, they launched rockets at the remaining 5 before they could set their turrets onto their position. After those were taken care of, the group split up and took cover, surprisingly fast for the amount of munitions they were carrying.

X took cover behind a wrecked tank, and set up a PT-344 Auto Machine gun, which fired 100 plasma rounds per second for 30 seconds per clip. Immediately, he began to fire at the now scattered enemy troops around the area.

Rounds and rounds of plasma charges flurried across the courtyard as X fired the weapon with deadly precision. Bits of earth shot up into the sky, and the enemy troops had very little time to react before they were destroyed.

A group of flyers spotted X and began to ascend on his position, and immediately started firing at him. Crash aimed his Ion cannon up at them and fired off a charged beam, destroying them, and continued firing at the gun turrets.

His ammo clip depleted, X abandoned his post and made a mad dash for the castle. Explosions and weapons fire tore away at the ground around him as he jumped and dodged the incoming bullets and plasma charges. He unloaded an array of fusion grenades, and hurled them at the far west wall, where an exhaust port leading to the power reactor lay. One of the grenades detonated, causing a chain reaction with the others, and set off a massive explosion that rocked the entire mountain, setting off a destabilizing flux in the reactor.

The reactor beam pulsated one more time, and was silent for a half second. Then the ground beneath the west wall exploded into a geyser of earth, metal and fire as the reactor core collapsed. X, being forced off his feet by the explosion, flew some yards on the metal platform, crashing to a halt. He recollected himself, and turned on his comm.

"Alright, guys," X said into the comm, "Clean up and get the hell out of here, Zero should have that thing taken down soon!"

Crash finished off a few targets on the tarmac, and nodded his acknowledgement. Hogan did the same. Both of them hopped on some nearby speeders, and blasted a hole in the wall for escape. X looked around, and saw a fighter craft, inactive. He grinned, and ran to it. But before he could make it, his transporters became active.

"What the hell?" he cried aloud, but before he could know what was going on, his transporter engaged, and he knew nothing.

------

The sky was a scene of hellfire that day. Missiles flew from Zero's Falcon-III Fighter as he locked on to an enemy reploid flying through the air. The missiles made contact, and the reploid, cunningly named 'Dragons' due to their appearance, exploded into pieces, falling to the ground.

"Yeah! Score one for our side!" Zero exclaimed into the comm. He had been thus far unlucky as to find a target, but finally he found one, and he couldn't feel any better about it. The comm came on as he was about to target another.

"Zero, X is moving in to take out the power core within the complex, buying you some room to take out that flying object. For now, continue to focus your fire on the enemies in the air around it, escorting it out of the atmosphere. Alia out"

"That's a big 10-4, Alia", replied Zero, "Zero out."

Zero pulled a U-turn, only to find a pack of Dragons locked on and preparing to fire on him. In a split-second, he swerved down towards the canyon, and put on his rear deflectors at full charge.

"Zak! Zak, can you hear me!" Zero cried into the comm, dodging left to avoid some fire, "This is Zero! I need you on my six now!"

"Copy that, big buddy," Replied Zak, a rookie fighter new to the Hunters, "Moving in"  
Zero saw Zak's fighter begin to move in, then watched as it exploded from an Ion Torpedo, striking the fighter from the rear.

Zero closed his eyes for a moment, and then was jolted around by some fire from the Dragons behind him. Fully aware of his surroundings again, he pulled some more evasive maneuvers, and entered the canyon.

The canyon was filled with dangerous curves and pillars of rock, eroded from before human times, but also provided excellent cover for an ace pilot such as Zero.

Zero sped through the canyon like a banshee, and the dragons followed with ease. They turned left and right, dodging this way and that, and then they came to a straight away, with huge spires shooting up from the ground. Flying around them was no problem, but the Dragons found it easy as well.

There was a curve up ahead, 2 miles down the canyon, and suddenly an idea came to Zero's head.

If I've been watching their movements correctly, they like to keep close to the wall, He thought to himself, now if I can just get some mines on that cliff wall...

Zero charged his rear cannon. He knew this canyon better than anyone on base, and there was a left curve, and a right curve no more than 20 meters ahead of the left curve. If he could aim it right, he would be able to shoot the ridge with a large blast as he came around the second turn, enough to make a landslide, crushing them all under the rock.

He approached the first turn a little fast, but he kept his head and continued on the second curve. The rear cannon fired, and destroyed enough rock on the ridge to create a landslide. The Dragons came around the corner, and were crushed under the resulting land mass.

"YEAH!" cried Zero, "Got em good!"

He flew in a little victory maneuver, and then headed back to the battle above. As he came over the canyon wall, however, a large explosion came from within the Castle. The comm was on in an instant.

"Zero, this is Alia," came the voice on the comm, "I can't reach X, he's not responding to any communications. You guys have to get out of there now! I repeat, get the hell out of there immediate-"

Then the line went dead.

"Wait, Alia, what's going on!" said Zero into the comm, "Alia? ALIA!"

No response. Oh well, he'd sort it out later. For now he had to get to X. As far as he could tell, he was somewhere within the Castle, but where...

He flew overtop of the castle once, and saw no sign of X. The Castle, now that infantry and fighter jets could get in and tear the place apart, looked more than demolished.

Looking at the sky above, the ship had almost reached the very top of the atmosphere, the battle still raging on, but it seemed Maverick Hunters were all pulling out.

He was about to set down to look for X, when suddenly his transporter was set off.

"Wha-What the!" He cried out, his ship now spinning out of control headed towards the ground. He fought for control, but it was too late. He disappeared just moments before the ship crashed into the west wall of the Castle...

------ Part 2 ------

X slowly powered back up, and found himself in a large, temple like room, with stone walls and floors, and a torch-lit chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It reminded him of the Aztec temples he had visited earlier that year escorting an Archaeological team for some new research on a hidden wall within the temple.

Getting up, he ran a diagnostics scan on his systems, and found everything to be working OK. He looked around to survey the area. There was an exit to the wall ahead of him, but other than that, there was nothing else.

He began to walk through the torch-lit hallways, his metallic boots making loud clangs against the stone floor. There were tons of markings along the walls, paintings of great battles, kings, and defeats.

He looked across the markings, finding them extraordinary, and then began to notice a pattern. Whenever there was a defeat portrayed, a figure, shrouded in black smoke, was always present. But whenever a victory was shown, a bright, shining figure seemed to eliminate the villains, or the enemy to whoever drew the pictures.

Taking more and more interest in the paintings, he began to visually record them within his memory matrix.

Then he came to a room where a small river surrounded an island in the middle of the room. On that island, connected by a stone bridge, there was what resembled an Ark of some kind. Cautiously, X looked around the room. There were dozens of paintings and writings along the walls, and at the very back there was that figure in white again, in the center of the wall. A few golden rays of light poured in from a hole in the roof, and gave the dimly lit room an eerie aura to it.

He walked across the bridge towards the Ark, feeling more and more curious every minute. As he walked the bridge, though, lights from under the water began to light up, creating a reflecting light off the walls of the big room.

As he reached the Ark, the lights tuend on all around the edges of the concrete, all around the room, not just the island, which bettter lit the room. He approached the Ark, and saw an engraved figure on the lid. To his immense surprise, it resembled a Robot.

"Perhaps the temple builders thought he was some kind of metallic God," he said to himself, "But who made him...He must be ancient..."

Reluctantly, X placed his hand on the Ark, and immediately the engravings and writings on it lit up, as well as the edges along the lid and the rest of the Ark. With a hiss of decayed oxygen, the lid began to slide off. X backed away, and readied his buster for whatever popped out at him.

When the smog cleared, he crept closer to look inside. It was the figure from the lid, but now he looked much more realistic. His white armor shone like new, and the gem on his forehead glowed a deep violet. His armor was trimmed with purple and gold, and his weapon seemes to be much different from his own.

X stared in wonder. Who was this mysterious figure? He realized that the only way to find out was to activate him, so he looked at the inside of the Ark. There seemed to be a cord, attaching the mystreious Reploid to the Ark. Gently, his disconnected it, and waited for something to happen.

He watched for a few minutes, then finally the Reploid stirred. His eyes fluttered open, and he looked at X, and smiled.

"Hello," He said, weakly, "I require some assistance getting up. Would you assist me?"

X, extending his hand, helped the Reploid out of the Ark, and backed up a bit. The new Reploid looked around, then at X, and smiled.

"My name is Arturo," he said, sitting down. He looked up at X, head tilted to the side, "And what is your name?"

"My name is X," replied X, beginning to like this Arturo, "I'm part of an organization called the Maverick Hunters, but right now...I have no idea where I am, or what this is supposed to be, exactly." He waved his hand at the temple walls around him.

Arturo smiled again, "I built this place long ago...I used it as a place of refuge, and drew my life story for everyone who wished it so to see."

"Then it seems we both have had troubled pasts," said X, "Both filled with war and suffering...But you said this was your place of refuge. If you don't mind me asking, what was it exactly you were running from?"

Arturo sighed, and bowed his head for a moment. When he looked back up, his eyes were filled with forgottem memories and pain.

"Long ago, I was created to defend my people against a dark enemy," he said at last, "His name, at that time, was unknown to me, but my people called him 'The Dark One'"

He waved his hand across the room, "We fought many battles, but eventually I was the victor, and was rewarded with praise from the people I had saved."

"But the high council did not approve," he said, his face saddening, "They called me a traitor and banished me. Across the galaxy I could find no refuge but here, with a race that had no connection to any outside influence. I was mistaken for a God, and they called me their protector because I defeated their enemies for them,"

"And then I decided that my time was done, that I was done fighting battles for people," he continued, "And I built this temple using materials from my ship, and the stone from the ground beneath us, to hide myself from those who would seek evil upon me."

He began to walk down the bridge, and X followed him, interested by his story.

"And here I slept for a very long time," said Arturo, looking around at the paintings like long lost memories, "Waiting for someone to take my place as the Hero, the defender of worlds."

He turned to face X, smiling, "And now you are here."

X took a moment to let that sink in. Hero? He fought for the good of Earth. But the Defender of an entire Galaxy he was not.

Still, he needed to ask more questions.

"Where did this 'Dark One' come from?" Asked X, "Who built him?"

Arturo sighed, looking down. "The same people who built me...The Xanaxis high council...They could not keep him under control, eventually bringing an army to his will, and then I was created to lead the defending armies of Xanax to stop him."

"The dark one was a powerful machine, with a power unlike any other," He continued, rubbing his hands together, and continuing to walk back down the hallway, "He had been corrupted by a machine known as the Dementia Machine, which was a machine built purely on dark magic, and infected him with an odd virus, which could be spread, but only from one who was infected drectly from the Dementia Machine."

"Magic?" X said, in surprise, "On Earth, Magic is just a myth, so forgive me if I have a hard time understading that concept."

Arturo laughed, "It is not a problem. Many cultures do not believe what they cannot explain."

Then his expression turned serious, "The Dark One was not always evil, however. He was merely a conqueror of worlds, designed to eradicate all civilization in the universe, to respawn a new species of free will, who would share peace among their bretheren."

"As far as my records tell, the people inhabiting that planet were a mining colony, and were very corrupt. Their entire society was based on black law, which is essentially a system of Anarchy, governed by themselves."

"But then he stumbled upon the Dementia Machine by pure accident." He paused for a moment, then began again, "They were the ones who created the Dementia Machine, and used it to create black armies of destruction on their own people.

"Eventually the abnormally strong atmosphere could take no more, and began to transform into a red hue, slowly dissipating," said Arturo, his face saddened by this fact, "The planet would soon be unihnabitable by those on the surface, but the scientists at Xanax believed they could reverse the process."

"And that is when he found the Dementia Machine," He said, standing in front of a painting, which seemed to represent the Dementia Machine, "This old machine, with technology far surpassing anything he had seen on the planet, gave everyone in his patrol shivers as they approached. With curiosity taking over his system, he activated it and infected himself with the virus. Turning on his fellow conquerors, he returned to Xanax and began a reign of terror against countless innocent peoples...Millions were lost..."

He bowed his head. X came to him and tried to comfort him.

"You did the best you could, Arturo," X said, "Yous aved the people of Xanax from a terrible fate, and even though you were a traitor, you continued to fight for people, and helped them win their battles over the enemy. You did good,"

Arturo looked at X, then back at the floor.

"Yes," He said, smiling faintly, "I did."

------

Swirls of evil and chaos surrounded Zero as he ran through the darkness of his nightmare. Behind him, a figure shrouded in black chased him though the void, relentless in his pursuit.

Zero turned to face his opponent. He was gaining on him, fast. There was no escape. Soon, he would have to fight this creature. But something inside Zero told him to run. A fear he had never felt before, burning him from the inside.

Suddenly, he tripped, and began to fall. He let out a wail as he plummeted through the darkness, and let out a groan of agony as he crashed some distance below.

Slowly, he looked up. The creature stood there, high above him on what would resemble a cliff. He got up, and began trudging through this new darkness. On the ground, whisps of some kind of cloud glowed a deep green, purple and blue, all around him, and in a straight line.

Seeing no other choice, he continued down the path, not knowing where it lead. For miles upon miles, it seemed like he was going around in circles. But then he saw a light at then end of what appeared to be a tunnel.

With nowhere else to go but back, he began to run in desperation to the light. But the more he ran, the more the light dimmed. Stopping for a moment, the light stopped shrinking. He took a breath, and walked the rest of the way until he made it to the light, which was an opening to a desert land.

Stepping into this new world, the hold closed behind him, revealing more empty desert. He looked around in every direction. Everything on this planet had turned red. The sand, the sky, but the clouds remained close to a blakc color. With nowhere to go, he looked closely. In one direction, he saw what might have been the remains of a city.

He chose to walk in that direction. But he did not reach the city for several days. In thag period, he would shut down at night to power himself back up for the following morning. When he awoke each morning, he would find lizards surrounding him, and scuttling away when he began to move.

When he reached the city, there was what looked like the remnants of a small war. Debris and spent shells from projectile weapons lay everywhere, as well as entire sections of buildings and factories lay scattered around everywhere. Walking through the ruined city, he began to look for any possible survivors.

Several weeks passed, and he had searched every part of the city.

All but one, that is. The dark mist from the nightmare realm surrounded it, and he was afraid to enter. He knew the answers to this place lay there, but the fear inside burned greater than ever before, and when he would think he had the courage and entered the mist, he quickly changed his mind, and ran to a dark corner. There, he would curn into a ball and rock back and forth, fear consuming him.

He knew it was pitiful, but he could not control himself. It was too terrible a fear to overcome. But he knew eventually he would have to.

It scared the living hell out of him.

------ Part 3 ------

Alia watched the battle rage on at the castle with a look of astonishment on her face. Out of nowhere, dozens of half-moon shaped vessels had descended into the battlefield and began decimating Lazarus's forces with ease and extreme precision. Within minutes, the alien fighters had accomplished more damage than the Maverick Hunters had done during the entire battle.

Then, after the vast majority of Lazarus's forces were destroyed, and Alia was sure things wouldn't get any weirder, they did.

The Mitos was bigger than any ship Alia had ever seen. She had seen it briefly from satellite images, but seeing it like this was beyond anything she could imagine. It was shaped like a double edged axe, with defense turrets lining the sides. The front of the ship was distinguishable from a sloped, protruding tower on the top, which faced in the direction the ship was going.

Signas shifted uneasily on his feet. He was sure that the ship was large, but he didn't expect it to be this big...

"That ship is huge," He said with awe, looking at the ship descend and hover beside Lazarus's ship.

Alia looked at him, a look of worry on her face "Yeah...But what do they want with him? And why did they come to earth?"

Then she had an idea "Do you think...Do you think they're connected with the Nightmare Virus somehow?"

Signas shared her worry, but didn't let it show. He sat down on a chair, and then sighed.

"We really don't know anything, Alia." He said to her, giving her a skeptical look, "For the moment, all we have to do is trust them."

"But how can we trust them!" She cried, "They came here ready to obliterate anyone, and anything. These people are connected, I know it...I can feel it...Can't you figure that out, Signas? What do they want with us...?"

She put her head in her hands in frustration, and then continued to watch the view screen. Signas watched her anger show, and joined her in watching the view screen. Then, out of nowhere, the Mitos rammed Lazarus's spherical ship, knocking it off course.

Alia and Signas just stared. Then, a few minutes later, the interior of the sphere began to glow, and then exploded with the force of a small supernova. She watched as the sky erupted into a sea of white, and the ground rippled with devastation and destruction.

Eventually, the sky cleared, and the Mitos hovered in one place, undamaged by the massive explosion. Alia stared at the ship in confusion. How could it have not sustained any damage whatsoever from such a huge blast?

Something wasn't right. She could feel it. And soon, she would know for sure.

------

X continued to walk the halls with Arturo, fascinated by the stories behind the paintings and scriptures written on the walls.

"Most of these paintings are from the battles between me and the Dark One," He explained, looking upon the walls with X, "The entire conflict lasted more than 100 years…"

"100 years!" X cried out, "That's a heck of a long time to fight. Why did it take so long for the conflict to end?"

Arturo smiled, and waved his hand for X to follow him down a darkened corridor.

"Come…I'll show you…"

------

Zero lay curled in a ball on the pavement. The dark place called out to him…It consumed his every thought, his every bit of rationality…It called his name with a passion that resembled evil…

Zero…Zero…Come here…There's something I want to show you…

He got up. He couldn't take this torture anymore. He had to destroy this voice inside his head, and he knew the only way in was down into the dark place.

He ran with speed he never knew he had. Grinning, he leapt over the rubble and destruction.

As he approached the black door, he could feel its evil get stronger with every step he took towards it.

It mocked him, and he was going to destroy it.

He took out his Z-Saber, and sliced the door open, watching the pieces fall around him. There were stairs leading down a twisty stairwell, consumed with dark smoke.

He began to make his way down the stairs, and soon he was completely smothered in the black smoke. Yet still he could see…The reason eluded him, but it was like looking through the eyes of the devil…

The stairs ended, and he came to a large corridor. Anger erupted within him once again, his patience at an end. He ran with full speed down the corridor, dragging his Z-Saber along the wall in a wavy pattern. He saw a wall, at the end of the hallway, and realized that this was the end.

No. It couldn't be.

The answer is here somewhere.

It has to be.

I WON'T LET THIS PLACE BE MY TOMB!

Zero…You've finally come to me…

WHO ARE YOU?

Heheh…Come in and find out…

With a burst of newfound anger, he crashed into the wall, hoping, he would break through it. But instead, he bounced off it, and lay there in misery…Waiting for an answer to his question…

Worthless…Nothing…Pathetic…These words describe your failure, but no words describe your incompetence…So sleep now, child, and beware the dawn…For tomorrow I will not be so forgiving…

------ Part 4 ------

Red light flooded the eyes of the demon as it awoke. As it's senses returned to it, it began to push itself off the concrete floor, energy slowly returning to its feeble body and mind.

It crouched itself on the floor, spreading its jagged wings to their fullest. They are riddled with ancient designs of evil and devolution, a pure mark of a demonic incarnation.

It looked around itself in wonder. The building seemed to be nothing more than an empty warehouse, desolate and battered after years of war. Crates lay destroyed and looted all around, and red light filtered its way slowly through the shattered window frames.

...Where...Am I...?

It looked above to the roof. The metallic girders cast dark shadows filled with clouds hate and anger across the floor, and within them he saw all that had been done here.

It showed him an apocalypse of heresy and annihilation...

This filled the demon with newfound hate for itself. It raised it's clawed hands in front of it, hands that had done unimaginable misdeeds with it's razor sharp claws...

A fire began to burn within the demon with a blaze of pain. It dropped to the floor in agony, clawing away at it's chest to free the source of the fire. Black blood splattered and dripped from it's wounds and claws, but the demon didn't care. It needed to save itself from pain.

Suddenly, the pain stopped. The furious scratching stopped, and the demon lay motionless, panting and bleeding.

Then a bright white light shot from it's chest, shoving what remained of it's sanity aside and sending it's mind into an abysmal fury that sent power into it's entire body. The light shot through the roof, breaking a small hole where it penetrated. The demon got up, and flew after it with incredible speed.

It needed to destroy the light, whatever the cost.

Yet as he broke through the roof and entered the barren wasteland, something tugged at it's mind, making it wonder if the light was a source of pain, or a beacon of truth.

Whatever it is, I cannot let it escape.

The light soared through the air at blinding speed, and the demon followed it. Dark energy began to form over the demons body, a cloud of evil that made it remember the dark clouds on the floor of the building...

The demon formed a sword within it's hands, pulsing with red and black energy, and flew in to strike the white light. As it did so, the light did something unexpected; It began to take shape into a humanoid.

It's white aura still surrounding it, the light figure had arms, legs, torso and head like a human, but something was different about it. To all intents and purposes, it looked like a machine.

Like an old friend...

What the hell!

That split second of hesitation was all the light figure needed to strike the demon with it's arm, sending it soaring down to the ground below.

The demon landed with a hard crash, creating a crater all around it, and splitting the canyon side open like the gashes on it's chest.

The demon lay stunned, not knowing what happened, then widened it's eyes as the light figure rocketed towards it.

Raising a disfigured hand, the demon sent out a wave of energy, which exploded into a circular shield above it. It was colored with a spectrum of purple, black, red and indigo. The field rippled and pulsated, awaiting the light figure to strike it.

The light figure crashed into it, sending a shockwave of equal size and proportions all around in one big shockwave. The ground quaked as the demon struggled to keep the field alive, saving itself from apparent destruction.

The light figure backed off, flying back towards the sky. High above the demon, it manifested a sword to hold. The light figure hovered in the sky, almost mocking the demon to follow.

Enraged, the demon cast away it's protective shield, reignited his sword of evil, and flew up with clouds of rage and hate trailing behind it in dark clouds.

The black clouds in the sky seemed to swirl in a cyclone that gre bigger as he neared the light figure. Before the final moment happened, the moment he crossed his sword of hate against the light figure's blade of justice, it looked into the eyes of the light figure, and finally understood everything. It understood it's hate, and who the light really was.

Forgive me...X...

------

X and Arturo walked slowly through the corridors, until they came to a shrine made of gold, with a golden statue in the center. The figure was designed after Arturo, and it smiled gently as it held a golden medallion in it's hands.

The medallion had many etchings made on it, which seemed to resemble some ancient writing X had seen somewhere before.

"This is the shrine I created when I was buried here," He said, waving his arm across the shrine. Many offerings lay about the shrine, such as jewels, plates, pots, among others, "It was made for the people here to give their penance to me for saving them from their enemies..."

Arturo stepped towards the statue, gently stroking the sides of it as if remembering an old friend. Then he put his hand on the medallion, and stayed there.

"This medallion, on the other hand, is much more than meets the eye," He said, removing it from the statues hands. He looked at it with wonder, and X caught the sudden glimpse of greed in Arturo's expression, "It's an ancient tool I found here, used to let you explore a world within yourself...Unfortunately, I could not find a use for it, regardless of the decaying scriptures I found along with it."

X looked at the medallion, and extended his hand.

"Let me try it."

Arturo looked at X, and reluctantly passed him the medallion. As it passed into X's hand, white light flashed momentarily before his eyes. Startled, he flinched, and Arturo came to his side.

"Are you ok?" He asked with concern, "You suddenly jumped as you grabbed the Medallion..."

X recollected himself, and looked up at Arturo. There was something about Arturo that X couldn't put his finger on...Something odd...

"I'm fine," X replied, shaking his head, "Maybe another time?"

Arturo smiled, then laughed to himself.

"Yes, perhaps..." He said, then motioned for them to leave "I wish to show some writing I found, placed here by whoever created the Medallion. Just follow me,"

Follow closely...I have many things left for you to see...

------ Part 5 ------

Alia watched as the colossal vessel from space landed on the landing platform at LAX, it's sheer size barely fitting into the landing pad The double bladed areas of the vessel stuck off the platform slightly, and it's landing gear placement made it difficult for it to find a comfortable place to sit.

The airport had been converted from public to military after it became apparent that the countries of the Pacific Rim were taking the upper hand on the West Coast of North America in the last major war. With LAX as a primary base of assault, and equipped to support very large air cruisers, North America won that skirmish, and settled the conflict on Asian soil.

A bright beam of light formed from a golden circle below the ship, connecting it to the ground with a beam of violet light and swirls of energy, moving like a hurricane around the sides of the beam.

The beam pulsated downwards, then disappeared, leaving 3 figures standing on the landing pad. One was heavily armored and wearing a massive blue cape was accompanied by 2 others, who appaeared to be nothing more than an armed escort, observing the area they had landed.

Soldiers and Maverick Hunters who had taken position around the landing pad raised their weapons slightly, almost silently. The 3 figures paid no heed to their actions, and continued to observe the area, patiently, taking it all in.

Alia took a deep breath, then made her way to the center of the platform, where the 3 figures stood. As she broke through the foray of guards, the alien escort immediately spotted her, and aimed their weapons towards her. She slowed down, unsure of what to do.

She was about to speak when the larger, cloaked figure put his hands on his escorts soldiers shoulders, signalling them to lower their weapons. They did so slowly, cautiously, observing every movement Alia and the guards on the platform made.

Alia motioned for the Maverick Hunter guards to lower their weapons, then turned back towards the Aliens before her.

"Allow me to be the first to welcome you to Earth," She said, waving her arm across the room, "My name is Alia. You are standing in LAX, a part of the Maverick Hunter base, Earth's primary defense force,"

The leader turned his head towards her, his face hidden. He removed his hood, showing his head, which was armored with an intrticately designed helmet.

"I am Ares, commander of the vessel Mitos and chosen representative of the Galactic Senate," He spoke with a conviction that made Alia shudder, "We can continue this discussion elsewhere, as this hangar seems to be...Inappropriate..."

Alia nodded, "Of course. Follow me and we shall proceed to our command station by airship."

She waited him to approach her, and they began to walk towards the Airship docked in the hangar beside them. As they walked, silently, she noticed that his escort was surveying everyone fairly closely.

I wonder who these people are, she thought to herself. She didn't fully trust them, and there was something about his walk that made her feel uneasy.

Oh well. There will be plenty of time for talking later.

------

Signas stared at the viewscreen as he watched Alia and the Alien leader, Ares, walk towards the Airship. He wasn't happy at all about bringing the Dragoon into Maverick Hunter Headquarters.

He just obliterated half of Lazarus's castle in one strike, and we're supposed to let them in the front door, he thought to himself, maybe we should just invite them to look at all of our mainframe information, while we're at it...

He looked at his Chronometer. It was time for a powerup, and he couldn't wait any longer.

"Furion, you have the command center, I'm going for a powerdown," Signas ordered, leaving the command center, "Wake me up in 3 hours."

Furion, an older Maverick Hunter designated for Command Center control, saluted Signas as he began to leave.

"Yes, sir!" He said, and immediately went to work.

Signas sighed, then walked out of the room in a state of tiredness.

The halls were so empty now. Maverick Hunter personell had been ordered to battle at the last minute for a massive strike against Professor Lazarus.

So many lost..., He thought to himself, X was right...War is a battle better fought in your mind...

Eventually he came across his personal quarters, and paused before opening the door.

I wonder why the Dragoon is here in the first place, he thought, What business did he have with Professor Lazarus that enabled him to be so willing to destroy him...

As he opened the door to his quarters, and prepped his machine, these thoughts echoed through his cybernetic mind even as he stepped inside his personal recharge machine.

Why...

------ Part 6 ------

Tanner walked into his home, put down his things, and collapsed into an armchair, finally able to relax from the stresses in his life.

His apartment was on a midlevel skyskraper in the main city of the homeworld. Overlooking one of the few bodies of water, the 3 suns all set at the same time, giving a hardh glare off the water and into his apartment.

He looked around for a remote to tint the window. He saw it on the counter, and began to get up, when his communications device began to beep at him. He reached into his pocket, and looked at the screen on the device.

The name was restricted. He picked it up anyway.

"Hello?" He said, grabbing the remote for the window tint.

"Tanner, this is Za'xx. Where are you?"

"About as far away from bliss as they go. Why do you ask?"

"We have a problem"

Tanner pointed the remote at the window and clicked the button. Immediately the window gradually tinted to his desired level, and he walked towards the window as it did so. Looking outside, he could see all across the big city, vehicles bustling this way and that, people going about their own business.

His focus snapped back to the communications device, "Oh really?"

"You need to get down here immediately. There's something you need to know about the Fusion Core!"

"I thought I told you not to talk about that on the comm," Tanner snapped, angry. If anyone was listening, he could be doomed for life.

"Yeah well, this is bad," Replied Za'xx, "VERY bad!"

"What happened to it?"

"Someone took it, Tanner!" He said, "The Fusion Core is gone!"

------ Part 7 ------

"The Unified Peoples Legion is a massive network of planets and peoples across 4 galaxies," Ares said through his Microphone, "Over the course of history, there have been many additions to the Legion, and through them prosperity has flourished through all peoples."

Alia watched in silence as the holographic table in front of them lit up as he spoke, illuminating the many galaxies and planets connected to the Senate. Signas moved in his seat a little, pondering the possibilities of joining the Legion.

"The Hoppus, the Faborians, the Derigos...All the people in the Legion have made an agreement to live in peace under one flag, and through that Union prosperity has reigned," Ares continued, making the holoprojector display a quick display of the Banner, which was a simple white flag with a falcon on it.

"The peoples of Earth would be very willing to join this Union, Commander Ares," Said Alia, standing up from her chair, "We hope to establish a peaceful relationship with all peoples we meet, and we would be honored to participate."

She began to move around the room, passing by Signas with a tap to his shoulder, "But let me ask you one question everyone here has been wanting to ask; Why have you come to Earth? We certainly cannot match any technology you possess, or military prowess for that matter...So why is it you came to a "backwater" planet just to eliminate Lazarus?"

She made air quotes as she said Backwater. Ares stood silent for a moment, then he extended his arms and gave her a smile, a sinister sneer that made Alia uneasy.

"We are always looking for new members to the Legion," He responded, "Lazarus was nothing more than a scout we had placed here ahead of time, and he had reported to us that Earth was a peaceful by nature people."

"Although all people have their flaws, he reported that people of Earth could provide devastating military force if necessary, as was seen in the attack against Sigma's fortress five years ago, and again at the Maverick Research Lab where he created a duplicate of the one you call Zero two years ago."

Alia stared when he mentioned the name Zero, and did not pay attention to him continue. How long had they been under observation? How much did they know about us?

Lazarus certainly knew enough about the Maverick Hunters. He was chief science engineer before he was retired from duty after a horrible experiment with a new type of virus which was supposed to neutralize the Maverick virus. The antivirus mutated spontaneously as a result of it's AI program, and it infected 3 of the Maverick Hunter's top scientists.

Luckily, Lazarus had a shutdown procedure installed within the chamber and it was lucky he was not contaminated before it wiped all trace of the antivirus.

After that...

"ALIA!"

Signas had shouted her name, which brought her focus back to the room. Ares and the rest of his crew stood there with patience, but it seemed like they were observing her.

Alia bowed her head in embarassment. Signas sighed, then turned his head back to Ares.

"I think it is an appropriate time for a small recess," He said, glancing at Alia slightly, "We shall return in approximately 30 minutes. I expect you, Ares, and your men to return to your assigned quarters. Dismissed!"

The Maverick Hunters chaperoning the meeting saluted, and then moved in their separate directions, some to their quarters, and some to escort Ares and his men. Ares seemed very discontent with this, but made no argument as they marched down the hallway. When they had gone, Signas turned to Alia.

"What were you thinking back there?" He asked, "Any miscommunication with these people could be disastrous for building foreign relations with them!"

Alia just bowed her head and turned away. Signas stopped his rant and came behind her, putting his arms on her shoulders.

"I know this must be hard for you, after we lost contact with X and Zero, but you can't let it get in the way of this kind of thing," He said, gently, "You gotta try to stay focused on the task at hand for now."

She turned to him, and gave him a hug, "I know, Signas...It's just that they know so much about us and what we've done...How can that be a secure connection with these peoeple?"

Alia rested her head on his chest. If reploids could cry, Alia would be doing just that right now.

Signas wondered about the whole thing too, though. He had his doubts before about these people, and now it was definite. But no matter, they would discuss the situation soon, or there would be hell to pay.

But Hell has nothing in comparison to us...

------

The tunnel was very dark. X had to rely on nightvision just to make his way, and it was lucky he had it installed earlier that week. The light on his helmet provided little support walking through the corridors.

This seemed to not bother Arturo, as he made his way through the tunnel effortlessly. Then again, he had probably been through this tunnel before.

"So you built all this yourself, Arturo?" X asked, stepping over fallen stones and broken floor tiling.

Arturo laughed, "No no no, I built the Temple above us. This area was built by some other force long before I got to Earth. I asked the natives about it, but they had no recollection of anyone else being on Earth."

X nodded, and they continued moving. Finally they made it to the end of the tunnel, and X could only gasp. In front of them was a small balcony of sorts, and there was a long rope bridge connecting the balcony to a floating island in the middle of a giant crater. On the Island, there appeared to be a ceremonial circle, with 3 statues set up in a triangle around a large circle, with many ancient drawings in it.

But what caught X's attention was the presence of what very much resembled one of Dr. Light's Upgrade Capsules.

"Oh," said Arturo, just as surprised as X was, "I don't think that was here last time..."

------

The room that the Maverick Hunters had assigned Ares was very luxurious. He was very pleased to find that there were many delicacies prepared for him, as he was famished beyond belief.

He sat at the table, set his equipment on the table, and took off his helmet. His long, jet black hair and his many facial scars were a mark of his clan status, of which he was very proud of.

But, our of what little respect he had for these people, he decided it was best to keep the helmet on at all times while around these...Machines...

His comlink went off just then. He looked down at his wrist, and saw his Second in command, Goros, with a smile on his face.

"Good news, Ares. The experiment is going ahead of schedule. Soon we will have enough data to speed it up even more, and possibly find other alternatives for the Virus."

Ares smiled too, his pointed teeth glinting in the light above him, "Very good, Goros. You make your family proud. Continue the experiments and tell me when he is ready for deployment. There is no time to waste, the holy creator will come soon and we must be ready for him."

"Of course, Dragoon," Goros said, "We will be prepared for Armageddon. Experiments will continue. Goros out."

They better be. One day, all shall see the wonder and glory that the Holy Creator shall bring to the universe...And they will tremble in fear at his might...


End file.
